CD Details

Released: October 15, 1996

Originally Released: 1996

Label: Angel Records

Entertainment Reviews:

Entertainment Weekly - 11/29/96, p.93

"...there's no denying the quality of the songs, making this a serviceable introduction for beginners until some smart label finally compiles the all-star Webb tribute album we (and he) deserves." - Rating: B

Listening to Jimmy Webb sing his most well-known compositions, all of which entered the pop pantheon by way of other voices (the Fifth Dimension, Glen Campbell, et. al.), is like hearing a poet read his own work. One is overwhelmed by a sense of rightness, that this is the way these songs were meant to be sung. While the considerable charms of the original recordings (Art Garfunkel's gorgeous reading of "All I Know," Glen Campbell's workmanlike approach to the transcendent "Wichita Lineman") are undeniable, these sparse, piano-based versions have a stark nobility that pares the songs down to their bare bones. It is to Webb's credit as a pop craftsman that his songs stand up so well in this context.

Subtle vocal assists from Shawn Colvin on "Didn't We" and Marc Cohn on "If These Walls Could Speak" add a touch of color to the proceedings. Even the baroque excesses of "MacArthur Park" are redeemed by Webb's tasteful approach, in a version that easily rivals Richard Harris' '60s chart fluke and Donna Summer's disco version. TEN EASY PIECES reads like a career resume for one of pop's finest songsmiths.